Summary/ABSTRACT: The proposed collaborative between the Cherokee Nation and the Stephenson Cancer Center has the explicit goal of creating the capacity to address tobacco-related cancer disparities in the Cherokee Nation through a linked program of pilot research and training and education for new investigators and students committed to advancing this work for the Cherokee Nation. We have four specific aims: 1) to develop an infrastructure, including a joint Internal Advisory Committee, capable of shaping multiple research, training, and education efforts between the Cherokee Nation and the Stephenson Cancer Center; 2) to conduct pilot research in tobacco use and cancer risk capable of seeding large-scale research projects at the Cherokee Nation; 3) to train the next generation of cancer researchers for the Cherokee Nation in the context of this research, including new investigators, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students; 4) to build upon these efforts in order to achieve sustainability for the partnership and its efforts to address tobacco-related cancer disparities. This partnership offers a very real possibility of creating authentic tribal capacity for cancer disparities research through a broad-based program of community engagement, pilot research, and training for students and new investigators who can begin to address the persistent cancer disparities that result from tobacco. It represents an important advance over previously successful efforts at the Cherokee Nation through the integration of these efforts under a clear focus on tobacco and cancer disparities.